Range-boiler and method of making same.



No. 655,394. Patented Aug. 7, |900.

C. COMSTOCK.

RANGE BOILER AND METHOD UF MAKING SAME.

ug.2s 189s.)

(Application led A (No Model.) 2 Sheets--Sheet i,

Eatented Aug. 7,- |900.

c. coMsTocK. RANGE BOILEB AND METHOD 0F MAKING SAME.

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PATENT OFFICE.

CHESTER COMSTOCK, OF NEI/V YORK, N. Y.

RANGE-BOILER AND METHODl OF MAKING SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 655,394, dated August 7, 1900.

Application filed August 26,1898.

To all whom t 711/601./ concern:

Be it known that I, CHESTER Consrock, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Range-Boilers and Methods of Making the Same, of which the following is a specification. Y

This invention relates to fluid-pressure reservoirs, and more particularly to that class thereof generally designated as range boilers or tanks, and the method of making the same.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved reservoir or boiler comprising a body and a pair of heads both formed after the formation of said body and from and integral with the metal thereof without decreasl ing or increasing the diameter of the body intermediate such heads.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved reservoir or boiler comprising a body and a pair of heads both formed after the formation of the body and from and integral with the' metal thereof without increasing or decreasing-the diameter of the body intermediate such heads and which heads are reinforced in such a manner at their points of least resistance as to effectively resist the pressure and strains which have frequently heretofore exerted a destructive action thereon. f

A further object of the invention is to provide a boiler or tank having an integral upset convex head with the convex face thereof first upset to project toward the exterior thereof andV then afterward treated to project such head toward the interior of the boiler.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the blank from which the tank 'or boiler is to be formed and is shown comprising a tubular member or shell having a part thereof broken out. Figs. 2, 3, et, and 5 are progressive views representing the successive steps during the formation of the integral boilerhead, the boiler being shown in longitudinal section with a part thereof broken out and withdrawn from the means for shaping such head,

Serial No. 689,541. (No model.)

ing shown in longitudinal section with a part thereof broken out and the means for operating thereon likewise being shown in longitudinal section and out of engagement with such boiler; and Fig. '7 is a longitudinal sectional view of acompleted boiler having a part thereof brokenout, both of the heads being integral with the sides thereof and one having a convex face extendingexteriorly of the boiler and the other a convex face extending interiorly of the boiler, both of the heads having a gradually-increasing reinforcement from their points of unition with the sides of the boiler to their regions of least resist-ance,\vhich have the greatest reinforcemeut.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawings.

As apreface to a further description of this improved boiler I desire to state that the invention is not necessarily limited to rangeboilers, since it may be applicable to various structures having analogous formation; but for the purposes of the present case it will be described and claimed in connection with a range boiler or tank, for which it is especially adapted. Nor is it limited to the means herein set forth for producing thearticle, as other means equally or more efficient may be provided.

In constructing range boilers as daily placed upon the market it is the general practice to secure the heads to theboiler by riveting or by brazing. Vhen the heads are secured in position by riveting, the operation is a tedious one, since it is necessary to provide a great number of rivets relatively close together in order to effectively retain Ythe head in position, and as each rivet must be heated before it is placed in position and is then separately operated on to form its headd IOO removing a large amount of integral metal at these points, the heads are more or less weakened at such points.

In that construction of boiler in which the heads are brazed since the brazing material, as Well as the boiler material, is apt to contract and expand and to be affected by the heated water within the boiler i-t follows that the security of the head is imperfect. Furtl1ermore,in order to strengthen or reinforce the boiler-heads it is the general practice to convex the same; but this is frequently found to be insufficient to properly stiifen or reinforce the head at the points of least resistance, and as the region of least resistance of each head lies at the greatestdistance from the point of support or the boiler sides, and hence near the middle portions of the head, this part of the head is more or less Weak, this weakness being contributed to by the fact that at this point the convexity of the head is the least, so that collapse usually takes place at or adjacent to the middle portion of the head.

To provide a boiler or other article of analogous formation in which the defects above pointed out are avoided is the object of the presentinvention, and it is attained by the improved method herein set forth. It is known, however, that boilers having one integral head formed by spinning or drawing have been patented; but it is also well known that in order to form such an integral structure in this manner the metal must be of a high class, having considerable ductility-such, for instance, as copper or brass-Which is expensive. Not only this, but these methods of forming an integral head are costly in the amount of time and labor required to perform the same, especially so in the spinning operation, which is a comparatively-slow process, While the drawing operation exerts a more or less destructive effect upon the metal, which, as above set forth, must be of good ductility and strength. From this it will be seen that metal which is ordinarily used in the construction of range-boilers While it may be of a superior quality for that purpose may be of an inferior quality for the operations above set forth, so that the improved method set forth herein is one which is superior to suchmethods, not only as to the lessened amount of time and labor required to perform the same and the advantageous results obtained, but especially since it may be used with that character of metal which is much less expensive tohandle than brass or copper.

While the article may be manufactured by hand or by hand appliances, as shown in the present instance, it may be more economically and readily manufactured by the use of an automatic instrumentality 'or mechanism adapted for the purpose. l

In a general way this improved boiler having an integral head is produced by subjecting either separately or simultaneously one or both ends of an uncontract'ed open-ended member or shell to an endwise upsetting-operation, thereby to compress or upset the end Vof such shell from its sides toward its longitudinal axis without increasing or decreasing the diameter ot' such shell intermediate its ends, and according to one mode of producing the finished product the shell is subjected to a plurality of upsetting operations of successively-increasing efficiencies, the first upsetting operation being elective upon the uncontracted end of the shell, thereby to compress or upset the end of such shell step by step from its sides toward its longitudinal axis and which procedure may be carried out while the metal of such shell is in its normal state or condition; but in practice the shell may have its end or ends to be upset suitably treated-as, for instance, by heating the sameto facilitate the upsetting operation.

In manufacturing this improved rangeboiler set forth herein according to one form thereof, and which may be its preferred form, if desired, a member or shell-such, for instance as a tubular member or shell (designated in a general Way by A) of the required diameter and of the desired boiler length and previously formed in any suitable manner, having, for instance, a welded or other suitable joint or seam--has one of its ends, as a, heated to the proper temperature, after Which such tubular member is placed with its heated uncontracted end into one of a series offorms, each of which has'the desired formation to be given to the shell at each step in the manufacture' thereof and is of greater efficiency than the preceding form. This first form in the present instance is shown as a die l2, having an annular perpendicular Wall 2, terminating in an inclined Wall 3, the former being adapted to support the shell when placed in position and to encircle the same during the formation of the head to prevent the upsetting or bulging of the shell abovea predetermined point,althou gh other meanssuch, for instance, as a band-may be used for this purpose, if found necessary. The depth of the inclined wall 3 determines the length of the shell to be upset, which may depend on the diameterof the sput-opening to be formed. The shell is then forced endwise into such die in any suitable manner, and for this purpose a cap or plate 4, suitable to receive the force or pressure to be applied to the shell, may be placed on the opposite end of such shell. The shell is then subjected to a blow orpressure, which while it may be obtained by hand by means of a sledge is preferably obtained by a plunger of some suitable formation engaging the cap 4, or the cap 4 may form the working face thereof, Whereby the tubular member A is forced endwise into the die, the inclined wall 3 of which upsets the end portion a of such shell and compresses the same toward its longitudinal axis in a somewhat similar manner to that shown in Fig. 2. During this step the metal IOO IIC

is also upset in the direction of its length, thereby tending to increase the thickness of the metal of the upset portion. The partially-formed boiler is then withdrawn from the first die 12 and dropped' into a succeeding die 13 of the same general construction as the die 12, but having its inclined walls 3 of a greater degree of inclination. The shell is then forced endwise into such die in a manner similar to that just described and its previously-upset end again upset to a greater degree, thereby reducing the diameter of the opening a of the head and also increasing the thickness of the metal of such upset portion. The shell is then removed from the die 13 and dropped into a succeeding die 14 of the same general construction as the preceding dies 12 and 13, but having its inclined wall 3 of greater inclination than either of said dies 12 and 13, after which it is treated in a similar manner, whereby a further upsetting of the head takes place, the diameter of the head-opening a being still further reduced and the thickness of the metal of such head increased. The shell is then again withdrawn and dropped into a succeeding die 15, the lower wall 5 of which is shown substantiallyv concaved, whereby the head is still further upset and under the upsetting operation is given its convex formation, together with an increase in thickness, the diameter'of the opening a being reduced to the desired size for the reception of a sput, which may in some instances be formed or secured in position at this operation, if desired-as, for instance, by forming the edges of the opening into a liange-or which opening a' may at this or a succeeding step be completely' closed, if desired. The shell is then removed, and if it is desired to form one of the heads with its convex face projecting interiorly or toward the interior of the boiler such shell is then placed in position to have the inner face of such head engaged by a suitable die 16, having a concaved working face 16', and its outer face engaged by a companion die or cap 17, having a convex working face 17', whereupon such head will be forced inwardly to form a convex face d", projecting interiorly of the boiler, substantially as shown in Fig. 6. The opposite uncontracted end b of the shell is then subjected tothe upsetting treatment in the dies 12, 13, 14, and 15 in a similar manner to that just described, whereby said opposite end or head of the boiler usually forming the top thereof is formed with a convex face b, extending exteriorly or toward the exterior of the boiler, and which may also, if desired, be provided with a sput-opening b.

By this improved process a boiler is formed having both of its heads formed after the formation of and from and integral with the sides thereof and having one of its heads or the top provided with a convex face extending outwardly or toward the exterior and its opposite head or bottom also provided with a convex face extending interiorly or toward the interior of the boiler and each of which heads owing to the upsetting of the metalin two intersecting directions is reinforced by a greater thickness of metal than is at the sides of such boiler, such metal gradually increasing in thickness from the sides of the boiler to the central portions of the heads, which being the region of least resistance is given by this improved process the greatest amount of reinforcement.

' It will be understood that the heads may be given other formations under this process from that shown by varying the formation of the forms. It will also be understood that when the boiler or other analogous article is made by step-by-step upsetting operations the number of such operations may beincreased or decreased from that set forth herein as is found desirable or as may be found necessary to accord with the diameter of the shell to be treated.

In practice one heating of each shell end may be sufficient for the various steps of forming the head; but if found desirable or in order to facilitate the upsetting thereof the boiler-head may be reheated after each step.

1t may also be desirable and practicable in some instances to treat both of the ends in the manner set forth simultaneously, especiali y in those cases where the convex faces of both heads are to project exterior-ly, a1- though it will be understood that one head may have its convex face extending interiorly even when both of the heads are treated simultaneously, although in such treatment the interior die may have to be dispensed with, as one of the heads may in the first instance be formed with a concaved outer face instead of a convex one, this being accomplished by changing the structure of the forms or dies and upsetting the shell interiorly or inwardly.

In conclusion, it will be seen that an improved boiler can be provided having both of the heads thereof formed from and integral with the sides thereof, whereby an integral structure throughout without either of the heads brazed or riveted thereto can ICO IIO

be furnished and with heads reinforced during the formation thereof by the metal forming a part of the boiler, such metal being gradually thickened from the sides to the central portion of the boiler, whereby such heads which are subjected to the greatest pressure and strain will be of greater thickness than the sides of the boiler, those portions or regions thereof having the least resistance having greater reinforcement than the other portions of such heads.

I claim as my invention- 1. The process of forminga range boiler or tank of an integral structure throughout and comprising a body having a pair of upset heads integral therewith, both formed after the formation of, and from the material of,

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said body,whereby each is integral therewith, by subjecting the uncontracted ends of a shell, either separately or simultaneously, to an endwise-upsetting operation, thereby to decrease the diameter of said shell at its end portions without increasing or decreasing the .diameter of the major part of said shell; and

then subjecting the partially-formed head or heads to a further endwise-npsetting operation to form the integral upset head or heads without varying the shape of the major part of said body.

2. A range boiler or tank of an integral structure throughout, and comprising a body having a pair of upset heads integral therewith, both formed after the formation of, and from the material of, said body,whereby each is integral therewith.

3. The process of forming a range boiler or tank of an integral structure throngho ut and comprising a body having a pair of upset heads, both formed after the formation of, and from the metal of, said body, whereby each is integral therewith, and each having greater thickness adjacent to its central region than at its point of unition withv the body, and each formed by subjecting the uncontracted end of a shell to an endwise-upsetting operation, thereby to decrease the diameter of said shell at its end portion Without increasing or decreasing the diameter of the major part of said shell; and then subjecting the partially-formed head to a further endwise-upsetting operation to form an integral upset head without varying the shape of said body intermediate its ends.

4. A range boiler or tank of an integral structure throughout and comprising a body having a pair of convex heads integral therewith, and both formed after the formation of, and from the metal of, said body, the convex face of one head projecting toward the interior of the body, and the convex face of the other head projecting toward the exterior of said body.

5. A range boiler or tank of an integral structure throughout and comprising a body having a pair of upset convex heads integral therewith, and both formed after the formation of, and from the metal of, said body, the convex face of one head projecting interiorly of the body, and the convex face of the other head projecting toward the exterior of said body, and each of said heads of increasing thickness from its point of unition with the body to its central region.

' 6. A range boiler or tank of an integral structure throughout, and comprising a body having a pair of upset heads, both formed after the formation of, and from the metal of said body, whereby each is integral therewith and each having greater thickness adjacent to its central region than at its point of unition with the body.

7. A tank or boiler comprising a body provided with an integral, upset, convex head, having its convex face projecting toward the interior of the boiler, and formed after the formation of and from the material of said body by first convexing the head by a stepby-step upsetting operation to project it toward the exterior and then upsetting it to have its convex face project toward the inte- IlOl.

CHESTER COMSTOCK Witnesses:

C. A. WEED, JOHN W. SEIFERT. 

